Behind those Ashen Eyes
by LethoBion
Summary: Hoenn is being ravaged by natural disasters. One girl goes missing, and her brother embarks on a journey to find her. Her father does everything in his power to stop the disasters.
1. Prologue

_I do not own pokemon, or any other one of the producer's creations. I only own the characters created by me._

_The sandstorm raged, more furious than it had ever been. All entry to the desert was impossible. All the people who went in before the sandstorm had no hope. The Pokémon waited in their dunes, waiting for the storm to pass. Cliffs stood against the wind, wishing they could hide as the sand pounded away at their backs. And somewhere, boulder was smashed apart as a deafening roar ripped across the sea of air and sand._

_A girl panted as she pushed on. She needed to get to the eye of the storm. She couldn't remember if sandstorms had eyes, but regardless, she had to get to the deepest part, calm or fierce. For her, it was die or hide. Her bike screeched as sand battered and rubbed away the metal. The girl couldn't even see a foot in front of her. _

_Soon, the bike got caught on a rock and flipped forward, sending the girl flying into the sand. She heard the bike crunch as it broke. Landing on her right shoulder, she hunched up on her side. The girl waited for the dunes to bury her, to claim her._

_Sorry, Kale._

_I love you, Mom._

--

"What?!"

"Calm down, my good sir-"

"How can I calm down when my daughter is trapped in a sandstorm?!"

The bearded man banged his fist on the table.

'find her‼ Find her‼"

All the agents in the room scrambled out. The Man sat back in his chair. He sighed, ruffling back his hair. His hair was naturally gray, but white streaks indicated his age. Wishing for some news of hope, He clicked the radio on and tuned it to the news.

"_The Ranger squad has not been able to identify any missing people within the sandstorm at the desert. Most are assumed as deceased-"_

"Hrraaaagh‼"

Angered by the buzzing radio, the man chucked it out of the window, towards the lake.

"_as no living thing could enter or survive the sandstorm. The situation within the storm cannot be identified, because the sandstorm reached higher that the modern helicopters can reach-"_

_(Splash)_

"_Disasters such as Tsunamis and cyclones have been stirred near route 105 and 120. What kind of disaster is this? Will this be a turning point in the history of Hoenn? This was Katie Clearwater, in Mauville. Next up, "Trainer's Eyes", with Interviewer Gabby and Cameraman Ty………………….."_

The voice buzzed and faded away as the radio sunk beneath the lake.

--

"Brrrr…………..Brrr……………Beep- the dialed customer is unable to receive the call. Please leave a message after the-"

(Snap)

The phone snapped shut as a gray-haired young man ran towards the ticket booth. Shoving his phone into his pocket, the man tapped the glass of the booth to get the attendant's attention.

"Hello! Are there any tickets left for the boat due to the Hoenn Region?"

"Yes, but you better hurry, the boat's leaving in five minutes."

The Man snatched the tickets as soon as the attendant poked them out of the booth. Running towards the Docking area, the man hollered, "Send the bill to Steven Stone residence in Mossdeep‼"

The Man climbed onto the boat just in time. Feeling the boat's engines rumble, He frowned.

_Where are you, Lia?_

--


	2. CHP 1 Isaac, He who laughs

_I do not own pokemon, or any other one of the producer's creations. I only own the characters created by me._

Well, finally, the first chapter‼

No offense, but until now, I always thought that pokemon was for ten years and younger, with the exception of my older brother.

This fanfic was inspired when my brother was using some cheats with his new gameshark, like the ghost cheat (walking through walls). He accidentally turned it off and he was in the desert, without the go-goggles. He was stuck, not even able to move one step.

That's when I thought, hey, wouldn't it be interesting if there was a stranded girl and a mysterious guy helping each other?

So, there you are, the origins of this will-be-ultra-buttery-fluffy fanfic.

Those of you people like me, enjoy‼

**Note- this fanfic takes place seven years after the ruby/sapphire storyline.**

**Isaac, He Who Laughs**

The girl groaned as she opened her eyes. Automatically, her eyes were closed into unnoticeable slits, as she peered around to see if anyone else was in the room. Assuring herself that she was alone, the girl sat up. She was in a warm bed, located next to a lit fireplace. There was another bunk bed on the other side of the fireplace. An ornate fur rug sat between the two beds. Two desks were jammed in the space between the wall and the other bed and the corner of that side, perpendicular to each other. Computers, papers and pencils lied messily on them. The other half of the room, across from the fire place, was just a jumble of furniture that was supposed to be in the kitchen and living room. A big TV, a small coffee table, refrigerator, counter, a tattered sofa, and a cabinet. The walls and floor were just a dark shade of wood. _Whoever lives here was a really bad sense of coordination,_ The girl thought.

Remembering what she had done in the desert, she immediately wondered why she was in a house. Panicked, her hand went to her necklace, and only felt an empty pokeball socket. She searched around for her backpack. It was nowhere to be seen. The girl jumped out of the bed and looked around for something to use. Her eyes found nothing. She was panicking.

The girl closed her eyes. _Calm, _She thought, _think clearly._

The girl opened her eyes with a new clarity. This time, she connected a shaky floorboard with a 

crowbar lying beside the fireplace, bare and obvious. She snatched it and tried to pry the floor open. There was no success, only a few creaks. She tried again, frustrated. Nothing again. Breathing deeply, she dug her feet into the ground and shifted her weight backwards. With a deafening crack, the floorboard snapped open. Falling backwards, she checked if anyone heard the sound, and was coming in. Nothing. Dust piled out. Coughing and clearing the air, the girl found a tattered leather bag. She pulled it out and opened it, spilling its contents on the floor. A pair of broken glasses, a spare potion, some money, and….. A gun. The girl's eyes hardened. She wondered who would take her pokemon, her pack and keep a gun under the floorboards. Checking if it had any ammo, the girl slid the gun into her back pocket and stuffed all the other objects back into the leather bag. After a few loud slams, the floorboard was back to normal, the crowbar in its place. The girl was standing next to the door, the gun ready in her hand. She waited with the gun held securely next to her face, ready to point it at someone if they came in.

A few hours passed. The girl stood there, motionless. Whoever came here would be very unfortunate, or maybe very fortunate.

--

Steven opened his door and stepped in. as Always, it was empty, except for a few exhibits of rare stones. He sighed as he closed the door. It was a long time since he was last here. He walked over to the table, and brushed his fingers against the top of it. He held his hands up to his face, staring at it. His eyes widened. He was expecting it to be covered in dust from the table, after all those years he spent away from Hoenn. His fingers were the same as a few second ago, and the table was sparkling clean. His father wouldn't hire a maid to clean unless he knew Steven was coming back. Then why?

An idea hit Steven like lightning. He dashed upstairs to his too-clean room, flipped the bed to its side, and yanked the floorboard beneath it open. As he expected, there was a velvet pouch and a piece of paper lying in the dusty floor.

_Steven?_

_Yes?_

_When I turn 13, I'm gonna live in your place, at Mossdeep._

_Why?_

'_cause I wanna live with you, big bro._

_(chuckle)_

_Then, I'm gonna catch a really cool pokemon and be the next champion after you!_

_You do that, Lia._

_Then, I'm gonna go around the world and meet all kinds of people and pokemon, just like you__‼_

_You'll have to be a big girl by then, Liadan._

_If I do go around the world, I'm gonna leave a note in our secret place__‼_

_Now, where would that be?_

_We'll make one__‼__!_

_(laughter)_

_But if I'm not going to come back, I'll leave my favorite gemstone with the note……_

_You've been reading too many tragedy stories, Danny. Time for bed__‼_

_Aww………_

It has been such a long time since then. With shaky hands, Steven took out the pouch and opened it. A brilliant, beautiful tiger-eyes topaz rolled out onto his hand. He frantically clutched the note and read it.

Steven punched the ground, causing his knuckles to bleed. He stood up, not even restoring the furniture to normal. Wiping his knuckles on his shirt, he flipped his cellphone open.

_Brrrrrr……………._

"Hello?"

"It is me, Steven."

"Hi, long time, no see, stranger."

"Listen, I know you're busy with taking care of the league and all, but… I have a favor, a request."

"What is it?"

"I need a partner to go into the desert with me. I lost my sister in the sandstorm. I'm going to find her."

"……………… Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Then, I'm game, as long as you're paying for the expenses."

"You are the same after even 7 years, Champion."

"Oh, well. I'll meet you at Mauville."

"Thanks, Brendan."

--

He searched his pockets for his keys. His sand proof coat kept evading his beaten fingers, as he stood there, in front of his own door, in the sandstorm. Finally gripping the keys with both hands, he unlocked the door. For a fraction of a second, there was nothing in the doorway. Then, in a flurry of movement, a girl, about 15years old, was standing in front of him, pointing a gun in his face.

The girl was wearing a white, long-sleeved shirt. The sleeves were wider at the end, near the hands. A black, short-sleeved blouse was buttoned on top. Her baggy jeans dropped to the floor at the ends. Her hands were gloved with black, hard leather gloves.

The girl's hair had a dark grey sheen, not the old grey, but the natural and more blackish grey. The length was short, lapping the area just below her ears in a pointed style.

What surprised him the most in that fraction of a second, was the girl's eyes. Ashen, grey irises, leered at him above the gun's barrel. Those eyes gave the girl a sharp, pointed look. And somewhere, behind those eyes, was not only hostility, but pain and reluctance.

That second passed very quickly. In the next second, He was shoved into to the house by the girl, as she closed the door without even taking her eyes off of him. The howling stopped, and there was utter silence as the girl leered at him. He stood there, hands above his head.

"Where is my pack?!" The girl demanded with a clear voice. He slowly lowered his left arm to let the pack slide down from his left shoulder. Gun still pointed at him, the girl snatched the pack and rummaged through it. Slipping it onto her hips, she straightened up and glared once more.

"Where's my pokemon?"

"In my machine. I'm healing it." He said. She narrowed her eyes.

"How am I supposed to believe that? Who are you? Why did you-"

The gun clattered to the ground, as the girl followed it. He caught her just in time. She tried to resist as he carried her to the bad, but she relaxed as she was laid onto it. He wriggled out of his coat and rolled up his sleeves. Ignoring the girl's resisting hands; he pulled up a stool next to the bed and checked her pulse.

"It's okay, I'm not going to hurt you."

"There are worse things than getting hurt……" The hoarse whisper rasped out of the girl's mouth. He ignored it.

"Are you well enough to tell me your name?" He asked as he pulled up her eyelids.

"…………………………"

He sighed as he pulled away, restoring his sleeves to normal. "I guess you still can't trust me. Oh, well. Don't try to move, you'll just faint again."

Standing up, He walked over to the kitchen 'part' of the house to prepare an easily digested meal.

"I hope I'll get that trust in time." He turned the stove on. "By the way, my name's Isaac Joules. You can call me Zac, though I doubt you'll want to."


End file.
